How To Make A Gaming Website With WordPress
Last Updated on February 8, 2024 by James Wilson
Are you wondering how to make a gaming website with WordPress? The gaming sphere is thriving at the moment, and if this is something you are passionate about, you may want to create your own website.
There are many different types of gaming websites that you could create. This includes the following:
- Gaming websites where you can sell different products
- Gaming cheat code websites
- Forums for passionate gamers
- A gaming blog where you can share your thoughts and opinions
- Websites where you can actually play games
No matter what sort of gaming website you want to make, read on to discover how to make a gaming website with WordPress below.
A checklist of everything you are going to need to create a gaming website
There are a number of different things that you will require to make a gaming website:
- A domain name i.e. the URL for your gaming website
- A web host
- A WordPress theme
- WordPress plugins
- An SSL certificate
- Market your gaming website
If you are feeling perplexed already, don’t be. I will take you through all of the steps on how to make a gaming website with WordPress below.
Choose a domain name
The first thing you will need to do for your WordPress website is select a domain name.
On a basic level, your website simply won’t work without a domain name. You need to have an address that people can type in to get to your website.
However, your domain name is actually so much more than this. It adds credibility to your gaming business. Plus, you can build your brand and online presence with an effective domain name.
There are a number of different places where you can purchase a domain name today, so I will talk you through some of the various options.
GoDaddy is the obvious place to start, and I am sure most of you will have heard of this company. Founded by Bob Parsons back in 1997, it was actually known as Jomax Technologies back then!
There are a number of different services offered by GoDaddy, however, domain name registration is one of the most popular. In fact, GoDaddy is the world’s biggest domain name registrar, with more than 73 million domain names managed by GoDaddy.
One thing that I would like to point out about registering a domain name with GoDaddy is that it is a lot cheaper for your first year and then it does end up getting more expensive during the second year, so do keep this in mind so you can have a full understanding of the costs overall.
GoDaddy provides outstanding customer support, which is one area where they do really shine, offering phone support and live chat support. Both are available 24/7.
NameCheap manages more than seven million domains, and the company has won sveeral awards over the years. In fact, it was name the Best Domain Name Register by Lifehacker – quite the feat, right?
I can see why Lifehacker rates NameCheap so highly. You can benefit from a wide range of services and features that go beyond domain name registration, for example, app integration, SSL certificates, email, and domain transfers.
In terms of support, the options available include live chat and an email ticketing system. The knowledge base on the website is pretty extensive as well.
One of the great things about this service is that it is one of the most affordable, as the name indicates!
Another place where you can purchase a domain name is domain.com – great domain choice, hey!
This business was found over two decades ago, and it is owned by the Endurance International Group.
The company provides a number of different services, including a wide range of hosting places.
The customer support is also excellent, which is a recurring theme I am glad to see with all of the top domain companies.
One thing that I do really like about domain.com is that they provide a domain privacy protection service. This does cost an extra £7.12 per annum, but it may be something you are interested in for that added peace of mind.
Select a web host
You also need a web host and the good news is that I have reviewed all of the best web hosts for you.
A web hosting service provider, often shortened to a web host, is a company that gives you the services and technologies that are required for a webpage or a website to be viewed via the Internet. Websites are stored (hosted) on servers, which are basically special computers.
There are so many different web hosting providers to choose from today, and this can make it incredibly difficult for businesses to narrow down their search effectively and find the best host for them. That’s why I create this website to begin with!
Here are some of the common mistakes I see people make when it comes to web hosting…
Not making the effort to communicate with tech support before handing over your money
One of the biggest mistakes that business owners make today is signing up for a web host without making an effort to connect with their support department beforehand.
Make sure you choose a host that provides 24/7 support. You should not settle for anything else. You should also make sure that the company is easy to get in touch with. Try out the live chat or give them a call to see if they answer promptly and how helpful they are.
You want to have the peace of mind knowing that any issues with your website will be dealt with quickly and efficiently. The last thing you want is to have a website that has shut down and no method of getting it back up and running again.
Failing to read reviews that have been left by industry experts
Another way that businesses go wrong when it comes to web hosting is failing to read reviews that have been left by industry experts.
Yes, there are great customer reviews on independent websites, and these are helpful. However, they need to be teamed with unbiased information that has been provided by those in the know.
Now, I am not one to blow my own trumpet, as they say, but I have tested and reviewed all of the main web hosts, so you can find all of the information you need.
Here are some reviews to help you get started:
Choosing a free host or going for the cheapest host that is available
It is understandable why you would do this. After all, we all want to keep our expenses as low as possible.
Nevertheless, this sort of approach could end up costing you much more money in the long run because of the lack of quality you are going to experience. If you were to choose a free hosting provider, you can expect all of the following issues…
- The web host provider is likely to put unsolicited ads from third parties on your website.
- You may not have the option to run specific scripts for animation or video.
- One day, randomly, you may receive a warning message from your web host saying that your website has been closed down.
- You will never know when or why the server went down. With a free service, you are merely a silent spectator and you have no real control over your website.
- The website hosting company may not respond to any of your concerns or issues in a timely manner, or at all.
- You will probably not have any leverage to build up or scale up your site in the way you want to.
- When it comes to search engine result pages, you won’t get the same level of importance as other websites do.
Not understanding how your web host impacts your SEO efforts
Today, there are more factors that influence your search engine rankings than ever before. This is because all of the search engines have made a dedicated effort to ensure that their results are as user-friendly as possible. Because of this, your choice of hosting provider actually has a massive impact on your SEO efforts.
If you have issues with your website hosting, it can eradicate all of the good search engine optimisation work that you have done so far. There are a number of problems that can cause the credibility of your website to suffer both in the eyes of your viewers and the search engine bots. This includes the likes of slow site speed, database connection problems, and shared hosting that features spam sites of a terrible quality.
If that was not bad enough, you could even result in de-indexing your site in Google with exceeded bandwidth limit, prolonged runtime errors, and internal server errors.
Don’t underestimate the sheer power your web host has. Your decision is going to have a monumental impact on your overall web presence, which is why it needs to be considered so carefully.
As you can see, there are many different ways that you can go wrong when it comes to website hosting. With so many hosting providers to choose from, it is easy to see why you would end up simply going for the first or cheapest web host you find.
After all, a lot of people do not tend to realise that there can be a massive difference in terms of quality and services provided by all web hosts. Hopefully, you can now understand why careful consideration and research are a necessity.
Choose the best WordPress theme for your gaming website
Next on the list is a great WordPress theme. Your theme dictates the look and feel of your website, and so you will want to make sure you choose something that has the right appearance for a gaming website, right?
This does not necessarily mean you have to choose a gaming theme, as these can often be bloated with too many unnecessary features and they sometimes even have compatibility issues. It can often be a lot better to simply go for a standard theme, which has the sort of colours and style you want.
Once you have done this, you can then use plug-ins to add all of the features you want your website to have.
The type of theme you go for will really depend on the sort of gaming website you want to create. Magazine themes tend to work very well.
Make the most of WordPress plugins
There is no denying that one of the best things about WordPress is the wealth of different plug-ins that are available.
The good thing about the plugins on WordPress is that most of them are available free of charge.
With that in mind, continue reading to discover everything you need to know about the best free WordPress plugins for your gaming website.
Yoast
This is most people’s pick for the best plugin on WordPress, and it is not difficult to see why! One of the most critical things you need to do for your gaming site is to ensure that it is optimised for the search engine result pages.
You are going to increase your chances of ranking high if you ensure all of your blog posts have been optimised in terms of readability and keywords. This is exactly what Yoast is here to assist with.
It gives you tips on improving your gaming site in many different ways, including checking your keywords and how easy your blog posts are to read.
BuddyPress
Forums are commonly found on gaming websites, and this is something you may want to add to your own gaming website.
A forum can act as a discussion board, where people can ask and answer questions, as well as sharing tips about certain games.
A forum will make your visitors feel like they are part of your gaming site, and this works incredibly well for your engagement rates.
Elementor
This is another plugin that I definitely recommend downloading.
You often want to create sales pages and landing pages when you make a site so that you can attract more consumers and promote your items. With this plugin, you will have the power to add pages and design pages without any experience.
It also comes with a WYSIWYG editor, which means you can drag and drop elements to create your own unique pages.
It has never been easier to give your gaming site a unique feel, which matches your brand, without having to spend money on a developer.
Ninja Forms
The third and final free plugin that I definitely recommend downloading is Ninja forms.
There are a number of different types of forms that you may require for your gaming site. This includes registration forms, as well as upload forms, submission forms, and contact forms.
Ninja Forms will give you all of this. It is a powerful, all-in-one plug-in, which enables you to create any sort of form you need. The great thing about this plug-in is that it is really easy to use. You can use different fields to build unique forms. You are also able to connect with MailChimp so that you can build your email list.
Download an SSL certificate for your website
The next piece of the puzzle is to make sure that your website is secure, and this is where an SSL certificate comes in.
If you have never heard of an SSL certificate before, this is a type of code on your website server that will make sure that your online communications are secure.
When a web browser contacts your secure site, the SSL certificate will create an encrypted connection.
So, why does your gaming website need an SSL certificate?
- This is vital in terms of protecting your data
- SSL will affirm your identity
- You can satisfy PCI/DSS requirements
- Better search engine ranking
- You can enhance consumer trust
Market your gaming website effectively
You can create the most visually impressive website on the Internet, but if you do not get any traffic, what’s the point? Marketing your gaming website is a must.
Here are some of my favoured marketing approaches for gaming websites:
SEO
There is only one place to begin when it comes to marketing your gaming website, and this is with SEO.
There are many different strategies you can use here, which can help you to climb up the search engine result pages and gain more exposure.
Make sure you naturally incorporate keywords into all of your content. Link building is also imperative when it comes to SEO.
Streaming
Make the most of gaming streaming platforms, like Twitch. We’re sure you already know about these thriving gaming communities, and you need to be involved in them to get the word out about your website.
Video
The power of video should not be underestimated. Product videos can increase sales and conversions, especially in the gaming market.
The statistics regarding this vary, but there have been accounts online whereby people have reported an increase in sales by as much as 144 per cent by incorporating videos.
Product videos are not the only options you have available to you; you can also use videos that introduce your brand, as well as testimonial videos too.
Social media
You should also make your mark on social media. From Twitter to Facebook, there are a lot of great social media platforms that enable you to engage with people and build your brand. Why not run a competition to drum up interest in your gaming website?
Live chat
Another way to boost your website and your sales is to embrace the live chat feature. More and more companies are going down this route, and they are reaping the benefits.
When someone is browsing your website, if an online chat menu pops up, it makes them feel secure. They know that they can easily get in touch with you should they have an issue, and this creates trust.
Not only this but you, of course, increase customer satisfaction by providing such an instant response to their needs.
Final words on how to make a gaming website with WordPress
I hope that this guide has given you some clarity on how to make a gaming website with WordPress. From choosing your domain name right through to securing your website, all of the steps mentioned are vital.
And, once your website is created, your work is not done! You need to keep optimizing your website and ensuring that it is working effectively so that you continue to drive traffic and get results.
FAQ about how to make a gaming website with WordPress
I often receive questions about how to make a gaming website with WordPress, so I will answer some of the most common ones below:
Is WordPress difficult to learn?
It is easy to learn WordPress but it can be a little bit overwhelming at first, especially as there are so many different plugins. However, with a little bit of patience and practice, you will find that it is quite easy to get to grips with WordPress and it is an enjoyable platform to use as well.
Can I create a free website with WordPress?
WordPress is free for anyone to download and use, meaning you can build any sort of website without any restrictions. However, you will need to pay for a domain name and website hosting, as mentioned above. Nevertheless, this is still an incredibly affordable way of creating your own website.
Can you make games with WordPress?
You can use a WordPress gaming plugin if you would like to add games to your website. There are plugins like the Word Search Puzzle Game and Dinosaur Game that enable you to add simple games to your website. Of course, if you want to build your own games, this is a different area entirely.
